Apparatus for electroplating pipes.



D. H. MURPHY. APPARATUS FORBLECTROPLATIN'G PIPES.

APPLICATION-NMIB JULY B, 1912.

.1,079,427 i A Patented Nowr. 25,l 1913.

z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

D. H'. MURPHY. APPARATUS PoR PLPGTROPLATING PIPPS.. APPLICATION PILPD JULY a, 1912. 1,679,427 Patented Nov. 25, 1913,-

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

A! El Il VU l Il APPARATUS ron ELECTRoPLATING'PrPEs.

Specification. df Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Application aled July s, 1912'. serialuo. 708,097.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL H. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Electroplating Pipes,- of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Iy invention relates to an improved apparatus for electroplating rods or pipe, by which the rods or pipe being treated are moved positively in the plating solution so that all portions of the surface of the rods or pipe are presented uniformly for the electrolytic operation. By my invention, the operation may either be intermittent or continuous and, while th somewhat different for the eration from what it is for the intermittent operation, the essential construe-tional features characterizing my invention are involved in both arrangements.

It will'be understood that While I shall refer throughout the specification and claims to the plating of pipes by means of my apparatus, I wish to have it understood that the apparatus will'handle equally well solid rods and, furthermore, that the rods or pipe AFig. 2 shows in-top View the may have any desired cross-section as long as they may be madev to roll upon support-I ing surfaces.

An essential feature of my present invent'on consists in providing a support for the' pipes upon which they may-rest and be rolled so as to present the surface of the pipes uniformly to the plating operation and, in combination with such a supporting surface, an operating member having a yielding surface in engagement with the upper surfaces of the pipes so that, by movement of said member, the pipes are posif tively rotated in the pla-ting solution.

The several drawings illustrating my invention are as follows:

Figure 1 shows in cross-section, taken along the line 1-1 in Fig.v 2, a plating tank in which the parts are arrangedfor intermittent plating of successive lots of pipes. mechanism Fig. 3 is a longitu# illustrated in Fig. 1. i

the parts shown 1n dinal sectional view of ports are substantially Figs.A 1 and 2, taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows in transverse sectional View a modified form of plating tank in which the operation is continuous, such view being taken along the line 4`4 in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows in top view the mechanism illustrated in Fig. sectional view of the conveyer belt employed in connection lwith the mechanism shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout* the several views.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the tank l contains transverse supporting members 2, preferably of wood, upon which the conductors 3 vare located. The conductors 3 form supports for the pipes 4, which suphorizon'tal. A lurality of anodes 5 are disposed in the of the tank so as to give of the metal to be deposited throughout the solution in the tank l. gaged upon their upper y surface by operating members 6, whlch have lsecured to their lower surface stri s of resilient material 7, as, for exam le, fe t, india rubber, or similar material, wliich yields somewhat as it engages the pipes and thus permits positive engagement with all of the pipes in the tank.

he members Ghav'e formed on their left hown in Figs. l and 2, brack- I at 1l.v The levers 9 are connected by conwith theA cranks 13 secured supported in suitable bearlngs l5. The shaft 14 vis provided with a pulley 16, by which-,itis rotated in order to reciprocate the members 6 and thus oscillate the pipes 4 in the tank. The ends of the operating members 6 opposite to the brackets 8 are engaged by the guides 6a to keep the operating members in proper position upon'the pipes 4. The conductors 3, which are preferably of copper, are connected together by wires 17 and 18 with one brush 19 of a plating generator 20, the otherbrush 21 of which is connected by Wire 22 with all of the anodes 5 employedinthe tank. Extra anodes as shown at 5a are provided above the pipes over the conductors 3 to make more uniform the distribution of the plating operation, which otherwise might be somewha'tless, adjacent to the contat surfaces 4. Fig. 6 is a detail between the pipes and the conductors 3. The tank 1 is filled to a sufiicient depth with plating solution so as to cover the anodes 5, and the pipes are oscillated a sufficient length of time Ato receive the desired thickness of coating which may be of any desired material, usually copper or zinc.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the tank 23 is so conformed that the conductors 24 forming the supports for the pipes 25 are at their ends abovethe top of the tank 23 and at each end are bent so as to form inclined run-ways down into the tank,

-with level portions of the conductors across the bottom of the tank, thus affording sup ports for the pipes as they are about to enter the tank, as shown at 26, for subsequently leading the pipes down into the tank and across the bottom thereof and for afterward running the pipes up out of the tank to the position indicated at 27 after the plating operation has been completed. The pipes 25 y are engaged during their progress through the tank by flexible belts 28, which may be of canvas or rubber, and provided on their outer surface with a resilient layer forgiadjusting the distance betweenthe supports 24 and the belts 28 so thatdifferent sizes of pipe may be engaged and moved through the tank thereby, such means not being shown in det-ail herein. The driving pulleys 32, 32 are mounted upon the shafts 36 and 37, connected together at 38 by a universal` joint, said shafts being driven by a pulley '39 from any suitable source of power, not shown. The belts 28 are disposed 'ob liquely in the tank 23 and at an angle to each other, as indicated, so that different parts of the pipes are engaged thereby as they are moved through the tank, as a result. of which no particular part of the vpipe is protected unduly from the plating operation by engagement with the Aconductor supports 24 andthe belts 28. Furthermore, by the inclination of the'b'elts 28 in opposite directions, the resultant side thrust upon the vpipesjas theypass through the tank are balancedgand rthus the motion of the pipes through the tank is without displacement towafrdfnone side or the other of the tank. In this modification, the anodes are located at 40in the bottom of the tank and in raetice electrical connections are made wit the anodes 40 and the conductor supports 24 in a manner similar to that shown and described in connection with the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The tank 23 may be made of such a length that a single assage through it by-the pipes 25 will give t em a sufficient thickness of deposited metal or, if desired, the pipes maybe run through the tank a number of times, or successively through several similar tanks so as to use different plating conditions as desired at different points in the process. The speed of the belts 28 may be varied as desired to change the length of time during which the plating operation continues in the tank 23 upon any given pipe 25.

"While I have shown my invention in the particular embodiments herein described, I do not desire to limit myself to these construct-ions, as I may use many equivalents Without depart-ing from the s'p1rit,of.my invention.

What I claim is:

l. In an apparatus for electroplating pipes, the combination of a tank lfor holding the plating solution, conductor supports conformed to lead pipes into the tank at one end and across the bottom thereof and out of thev tank at its opposite end, and operating members having resilient surfaces in engagement with the pipes for moving them through the tank and delivering them therefrom, said operating members occupying inclined positions across they tank.

2. In an apparatus for electroplating pipes, the combination of a tank for holding the plating solution, conductor supports conformed to lead pipes into the tank at one end and across the bottom thereof and out of the tank at its opposite end, and operating members having resilient surfaces 1n engagement with the pipes for moving them through the tank and delivering them therefrom, said operating members being oppositely inclined across the tank to prevent longitudinal motion of the pipes in the tank.

3. In an apparatus for eleetroplating pipes, the combinationof a tank for holding the plating solution, conductor supports conformed to lead the pipes into the tank at one end and across the bottom thereof and out of the tank at its opposite end, operating members having resilientsurfaces in engagement with the pipes for moving them through the tank and delivering them therefrom, said operating members occupying inclined positions across the tank, and means 'for mcvine the operating members continuously in the same direction.

4. In an apparatus for electroplating pipes, the combination of a tank for hold-` ing the plating solution,vconductor supports conformed. to lead the pipes into the tank at one end and across the bottom thereof and outof the tant. at itsopposite end, op-

erating members having resilient surfaces in A engagement Withthe pipes for moving them through vthe tank and delivering them therefrom, said operating members being oppo- 5 lsitely inclined acrossthe tank to prevent longitudinal motion of the pipes in the tank,

and means for moving the operating members continuously in the same direction' 5. I n an apparatus for electroplating l0 pipes, the com ination of a tank for containing the plating solution, an operating member presenting a surface of 'readil compressible material for simultaneous y and positively engaging the topmost surfaces of a plurality o the tankfor the pipes to be pla-ted, an anode in the tank, and devices connected with the operating member for moving it to rotate the pipes.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 20 my name this 2nd day of July, A. D., 1912.

DANIEL H. MURPHY. y Witnesses:

G. M. STEWART, ALTER W. SGHLEGEL.

plpes, a conductor supporti in 15, 

